The instant invention relates to toy guns which are operative for launching projectiles and more particularly to a toy gun which is operative for launching a projectile and for simultaneously expelling a quantity of water therewith.
A variety of different types of projectile launching toy guns have been heretofore available. However, it has been found that toy guns which are capable of launching relatively light weight balls, such as resilient foam balls, have a particularly high level of appeal. For example, the toy gun disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. to Mooman 4,892,081 and 5,115,794 have been found to be extremely popular. Further, because they are operative for shooting relatively soft foam balls, rather than hard projectiles, they are relatively safe, and they can be effectively utilized without causing injury to persons or damage to objects which they impact. Various other types of toy guns have also been heretofore available, including guns which are capable of shooting streams of water and guns which are capable of shooting both projectiles and streams of water. The devices disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. to Smolen 2,938,512 and White 3,415,420 are exemplary of the heretofore available toy guns which have been operative for shooting both water and projectiles. However, the prior art has failed to provide an effective toy gun which is operable for simultaneously launching a projectile and expelling a quantity of water therewith from a single launching station in the manner of the toy gun of the instant invention. Hence, the prior art devices, including those disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. to Smolen and White, are believed to be of only general interest with respect to the subject invention.
The instant invention provides a toy gun which is capable of simultaneously launching a projectile and ejecting quantity of water in a highly effective manner. Specifically, the instant invention provides a toy gun comprising a projectile holding member which is operative for releasably holding a projectile at a launching station so that the projectile is launchible in a forward direction therefrom and a piston and cylinder assembly which is operative for producing and supplying individual blasts of compressed air to the launching station in order to launch the projectile from the projectile holding member. The toy gun further includes a mechanism for supplying a quantity of water to the launching station so that the water is expelled forwardly therefrom when the projectile 15 launched by a blast of compressed air. The projectile preferably comprises a soft foam ball, and the water is preferably supplied to the cylinder of the piston and cylinder assembly so that the water is expelled forwardly with a projectile when a blast of compressed air is delivered to the launching station. The projectile is preferably receivable in sealed engagement in the projectile holding member in order to initially resists being launched by a blast of compressed air, although the projectile is preferably resiliently yieldable to enable it to be launched from the holding member. However, because the projectile is preferably receivable in sealed engagement with the holding member to initially resist being launched by a blast of compressed air, the water which is expelled from the launching station is dispersed as it is expelled from the ball holding member. Further, the piston and cylinder assembly is preferably operative for drawing a quantity of water into the cylinder as the piston is drawn rearwardly in the cylinder and for then expelling the water and launching a projectile as the piston is moved forwardly in the cylinder. The ball is preferably also receivable in sealed engagement with a projectile holding member to create a partial vacuum in the cylinder as the piston is drawn rearwardly therein in order to draw water into the cylinder from the water supply assembly. Accordingly, the piston and cylinder assembly not only functions to produce blasts of compressed air, but it preferably also functions to pump water from the water supply mechanism so that the water is drawn into the cylinder during a rearward stroke of the piston in the cylinder.
It has been found that the toy gun of the instant invention can be effectively utilized for launching projectiles, such as foam balls, and for ejecting quantities of water along with the balls as they are launched. Specifically, because the toy gun includes a water supply mechanism which is actuated as the piston is drawn rearwardly in the cylinder for drawing water into the cylinder, a quantity of water is reliably expelled and dispersed as a projectile is launched from the projectile holding member. Hence, the toy gun of the instant invention is capable of effectively launching projectiles and for expelling a spray of water in a forward direction each time a projectile is launched.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide an effective toy gun which is capable of launching projectiles and simultaneously expelling water.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a toy gun which is operative for launching foam balls from a launching station and for expelling water along with the foam balls as they are launched from the launching station.
An even still further object of the instant invention is to provide a toy gun comprising a piston and cylinder assembly which is operative for producing blasts of compressed air for launching balls from the gun and for simultaneously pumping and expelling water from the gun.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.